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The championship contender benefited from a tactical decision from McLaren that contradicted decisions made by all other squads during an early race safety car deployment

It was a expensive choice that gave up track position to Verstappen in the final stages and retrospectively cost the victory for the Australian driver

Race Results and Title Consequences

The race winner triumphed to take his 7th victory of the campaign, equalling Norris and Piastri, while the Piastri was second and the British driver in fourth behind the Williams car of Carlos Sainz

Norris earned an additional points by passing Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes on the second-to-last lap

Norris has been left with a twelve point advantage over Verstappen, who overtook Piastri by four points heading to Abu Dhabi on 5-7 December

To win the championship, the British driver must secure a podium position at Abu Dhabi if Verstappen wins the race next race day

Key Events of the Thrilling Grand Prix

• McLaren's decision not to pit when a yellow flag was called on lap seven for a collision between the French team's Gasly and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg
• A strategy initiated by the Australian to bring forward his last pit stop in a last-ditch effort to catch Verstappen proved unsuccessful
• A surprise second podium for Sainz gifted by McLaren's strategy call

How The British Team Lost Out in The Race

The fateful point for the team was when the two drivers collided as the Hulkenberg tried to pass the Gasly around the exterior of the first corner on the seventh lap

The German's car was damaged beside the track This triggered the yellow flag

The critical part of the timing was that it meant there were 50 laps left in the race

With Pirelli imposing a 25-lap safety limit on the tyres, that meant anyone who pitted at that moment was committed to a fixed plan with a second stop on lap 32

Competitor Reactions and After the Event Statements

Speechless

The McLaren driver added in his after-race conversation: Clearly we made mistakes tonight I drove the strongest performance I was capable of, as quick as I could, but there was no more pace out there Attempted my best but didn't get it done

The race winner said: That represented an incredible race for us Our team executed the correct decision to pit It was smart Furthermore super-happy to win here and stay in the fight to the head, incredible

Final Race Positions

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
• 2. Piastri (McLaren)
• 3. Sainz (Williams Racing)
• 4. Lando Norris (McLaren Racing)
• 5. Antonelli (Mercedes-AMG)
• 6. Russell (Mercedes-AMG)
• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
• 8. Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari)
• 9. Lawson (RB F1 Team)
• 10. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing)

What's Next?

The all-important title decider at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit The circuit itself does not create the most exciting competition, but yet again this twilight race features an event which promises to be every bit as dramatic as Vettel's first title in twenty-ten, or Verstappen's much-debated initial championship in 2021